Prosecutors in Argentina have charged three people in connection with the death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne, officials said on Thursday. 

Payne, 31, died on October 16 when he fell from a balcony of the Casa Sur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires. 

One person, who authorities say spent time with Payne every day while he was in Buenos Aires, is charged with abandonment of a person followed by death, a charge that carries a sentence of five to 15 years in prison, according to a news release from Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office released Thursday. 

The other two charged are accused of supplying Payne with drugs, including cocaine, and have been charged with two acts each of supplying narcotics. Officials did not say what the sentence for those charges could be. 

One of the people charged with supplying narcotics is a hotel employee, the prosecutor’s office said. The three people charged have been notified of the charges, the prosecutor’s office said, and have been prohibited from leaving the country. 

None of the suspects were identified by name.

The release also stated that Payne died from a fall, and had not jumped from the balcony. Officials had not previously confirmed which version of events had happened, but the prosecutor’s office said that Payne was likely “not fully conscious or was experiencing a state of noticeable decrease or loss of consciousness” at the time of the fall. 

“For the prosecution, this situation would also rule out the possibility of a conscious or voluntary act on the part of the victim,” the prosecutor’s office said. 

The investigation included nine raids on homes in the region and dozens of interviews with hotel staff, Payne’s family and friends and experts in the fields of medicine, biochemistry and psychiatry, the prosecutor’s office said. Investigators also reviewed more than 800 hours of video footage from the hotel and public roads and conducted a forensic analysis of Payne’s cell phone to review his digital footprint in the period leading up to his death. 

An autopsy was also conducted. After that, Payne’s body was returned to his father, Geoff Payne, who had been in Argentina since the day after his son’s death. 

Toxicology tests conducted as part of the autopsy showed that Payne “only had traces” of drug use in his system. There were “traces” of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant, the prosecutor’s office said. Medical experts found that Payne only had injuries from his fall. 

All of the information gathered by investigators was summarized into a 180-page report presented to Judge Laura Bruniard, who oversees criminal cases. Bruniard approved the charges against the three people, but the investigation will continue, the prosecutor’s office said, as investigators continue to try to access Payne’s other personal devices. 

Liam Payne’s final moments revealed

Officials investigating the death of Liam Payne in Argentina said Tuesday they are trying to reconstruct the former “One Direction” star’s “final hours” as experts scour cell phones, computers, photographs and videos from security cameras.

Payne’s father, Geoff Payne, has been updated about the investigation by the head of Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office, according to a news release. Geoff Payne has been in Argentina since the weekend, when he visited the hotel where Payne fell to his death. 

The prosecutor’s office told Geoff Payne that toxicology reports are still pending. Another study to see if Payne was ill at the time of his death is also being conducted. Those tests, done as part of Payne’s autopsy, must be completed before the singer’s body can be released, officials said. 

The investigation into the hours before Payne’s death remains ongoing, the prosecutor’s office said. CBS News previously reported that police were dispatched to Payne’s hotel in response to an emergency call about an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol” who had “thrown himself from the balcony of his room.” Officials have not confirmed if Payne intentionally jumped or fell by accident. Investigators have said his room was a mess, with what appeared to be narcotics and alcohol among broken objects and furniture. 

ABC News and TMZ, citing anonymous sources familiar with the preliminary tests, reported a cocktail of drugs called “pink cocaine” — which contains methamphetamine and ketamine — had been found during a partial autopsy, but officials have not released any results from preliminary tests.

The prosecutor’s office said it is conducting analysis on electronic devices from the scene, and that “numerous statements” have been taken from hotel workers, medical professionals, and others to “reconstruct the victim’s final hours.”   

The prosecutor’s office noted in the press release that any information about Payne’s death will only be released through its official channels. 

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.

Liam Payne’s former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik released a statement on Thursday saying they are “completely devastated” by his death. 

Payne died Wednesday after falling into the interior patio of a hotel in Buenos Aires, officials in Argentina said. He was 31-years-old. 

“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” they wrote on Instagram. “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”

Formed in 2010 by “X Factor” judges including Simon Cowell, One Direction quickly became one of the biggest pop bands in the world — selling 70 million records by 2020.

After the band announced they were taking an extended hiatus in 2016, each member signed their own recording deals and released at least one studio album as a solo artist.  

Malik also posted a photo and message on Instagram, saying, “I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives.” 

He thanked Payne for supporting him through some of the “most difficult times in his life,” and said that, even though the two “butted heads” occasionally because Payne was “headstrong” and “opinionated,” he “secretly respected” Payne for it.  

“I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever,” Malik wrote.

Styles posted on Instagram writing that he is “truly devastated” by Payne’s death. “The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life,” he said. “I will miss him always, my lovely friend.” 

Tomlinson posted a detailed Instagram post on Thursday saying, “I am beyond devastated to be writing this but yesterday I lost a brother. Liam was somebody I looked up to everyday, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.”

He said the two met when Payne was 16 and he was 18, and Tomlinson was “instantly amazed by his voice,” praising him as an “incredible song writer with a great sense of melody.”

Tomlinson wrote that “we often spoke of getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band.” 

Payne had a son in 2017 with former “X Factor” judge Cheryl Cole.

“I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the Uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was,” Tomlinson wrote. “I wish I got chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you,” he said. 

Liam Payne’s family said they’re heartbroken after the musician fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Payne, who belonged to the wildly successful band One Direction before its members split up to pursue solo careers in 2016, was 31.

“We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,” the family said in a statement to PA Media, the U.K. and Ireland’s national news agency. “We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”

Other tributes poured in from the music and entertainment world. Musician Charlie Puth shared a photo of himself and Payne on Instagram, writing that he was “in shock” after hearing about Payne’s death. Puth contributed to Payne’s 2017 song “Bedroom Floor.”

“Liam was always so kind to me,” Puth wrote. “He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I can not believe he is gone.” 

Former One Direction guitarist Dan Richards said on Instagram that Payne’s death “feels so surreal” and that he is “still trying to wrap my head around it all.” 

Payne had been spotted in Argentina attending a concert of former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan on Oct. 2. Horan and other One Direction members Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik have not yet released a statement about Payne’s death. 

A spokesperson for the Buenos Aires police told CBS News that officers responded to the Casasur Palermo Hotel after reports of an “aggressive man” who may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol on Wednesday night. Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office said that it seized “a series of substances” from Payne’s room.

Argentine Director of Emergency Medical Services Alberto Crescenti told CBS News that an ambulance arrived about seven minutes after Payne fell from a third-floor balcony. His body was found in a hotel courtyard, local police said. 

An autopsy was conducted late Wednesday night. It found that Payne died of “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage,” according to the prosecutor’s office.

Crescenti declined to answer questions about the incident, including whether Payne jumped from the balcony or fell by accident, The Associated Press reported. The Buenos Aires police spokesperson said that Payne “had thrown himself from the balcony of his room.”

Payne is survived by his 7-year-old son.

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne died Wednesday after falling into the interior patio of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Argentine Director of Emergency Medical Services, Alberto Crescenti, confirmed to CBS News. 

He was 31 years old. 

Crescenti said an ambulance arrived seven minutes later. He declined to answer questions about the incident, including whether Payne jumped from the balcony or fell by accident, The Associated Press reported.

Police were dispatched to the hotel in response to an emergency call about an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” Pablo Policicchio, a spokesperson for the Security Ministry of Buenos Aires municipality, said in a statement to The AP.  Policicchio said Payne “had thrown himself from the balcony of his room.”

Payne, who was from the U.K., had attended a show in Argentina of his former bandmate, Niall Horan, according to media reports. Payne posted a series of social media videos showing him headed to Argentina.

Last year, Payne postponed his South American tour — with shows in Peru, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico — after a serious kidney infection. He told fans he was hospitalized with illness in a video explaining his decision.

Payne, who struggled with alcohol, announced in 2023 that he was 100 days sober. During a podcast interview in 2021, he detailed how One Direction members became too famous too fast — and said he often turned to drinking to deal with the mounting pressures of being in the globally famous boy band.

Formed in 2010 during “X Factor’s Boot Camp,” One Direction members Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik went on to sell 70 million records by 2020, according to the BBC. 

In 2016, Payne signed a solo deal with Capitol Records’ U.K. division, roughly one month after former bandmate Harry Styles signed a recording contract with Colombia Records.  

Payne had a son in 2017 with former “X Factor” judge Cheryl Cole.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Michael Roppolo

contributed to this report.

PUERTO MADRYN: In the icy seas off Argentina‘s southern Patagonian coast, an important breeding ground for whales, scientists are studying the huge marine mammals to better understand how they mate, feed and look after their young.
They have learned some surprising facts. Southern right whales in the Valdes Peninsula unexpectedly dive to the ocean floor to feed, often along with their young calves, researchers told Reuters near the Patagonian port city of Puerto Madryn.
“We went to examine the surface and sub-surface feeding behavior, and what we saw was many whales were diving, and when they returned to the surface they had mud on their heads,” said Valeria D’Agostino, a researcher at state science body CONICET. “That gave us evidence the whales were diving close to the bottom,” added D’Agostino, lead author of a study published in the journal Scientific Reports in June.
The study documented that these filter-feeding whales find larger specimens of zooplankton near the seabed than at the surface.
The researchers placed cameras on the backs of eight whales after making the observation and found out something even more unusual. The calves also dove to the bottom, something scientists had not known they were capable of doing.
“Another interesting thing that was unknown to us, and that we were able to discover from this study, is that the calves of whales also dive to more than 100 meters (330 feet) deep when they accompany their mothers,” D’Agostino said.
According to the latest census from September, there are 1,468 whales in Peninsula Valdes, a breeding and reproduction area considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the most important tourist sites in Argentina.
For D’Agostino, the study’s findings are key to ensuring that marine areas remain protected, guaranteeing the conservation not only of mammals like whales but also of every part of the ecosystem to ensure the availability of prey.
“Whales come to Peninsula Valdes to reproduce and give birth to their young, and also in order to feed,” D’Agostino said.

Argentina’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has been banned for two matches by FIFA for “offensive behaviour”, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Aston Villa star was also found guilty of “violating principles of fairplay” in two separate episodes.

Martinez was found to have violated FIFA’s code of conduct when holding a replica of the Copa America trophy to his groin after the World Cup qualifier win over Chile on September 5.

It is not the first time Martinez has performed such an action having also done it with the Golden Glove trophy for best goalkeeper after Argentina beat France on penalties in the 2022 World Cup final.

FIFA also sanctioned him for hitting a TV cameraman’s camera with his gloves after their 2-1 defeat by Colombia on September 10.

The AFA expressed their dissatisfaction with the FIFA ruling.

“It should be noted that the Argentine Football Association expresses its absolute disagreement with the decision taken by the FIFA disciplinary committee,” they said in a statement.

As a result of the decision Martinez — also a key member of the Argentina side that won the Copa America in July, as well as the 2021 edition — will miss the World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela on October 10 and Bolivia on October 15.

Argentina are top of the South American qualifying table with 18 points after eight matches. Colombia are just two points behind.